From that time on, the world was hers for the reading....

Monday, July 6, 2009

Tonya Hurley: Ghostgirl Homecoming

Charlotte Usher discovers that the afterlife isn't quite what she pictured when she's forced to intern at a hotline for troubled teens. Before she can officially cross over, she'll have to be a source of guidance for one such teen. The problem is she doesn't have much advice to offer since dying hasn't exactly boosted her confidence level.

But when Hawthorne High's leading, love-to-hate cheerleader Petula and her gothic little sis' Scarlet find themselves suddenly resting-in-peace in comas, Charlotte's opportunity to save them will prove to be the risk of a lifetime-for all of them.

Apparently, the afterlife isn't much different from living.

Disagreements with friends? Check.

Insecurities? Check.

Villains? Check.

A job? Check.

Wait.

What?

In this book, Charlotte and her Dead Ed classmates are putting their education into practice and trying to prove themselves while working at a teen hotline.

When teens are thinking about something or dealing with issues, the hotline phone rings. Charlotte and her friends then become the voice inside that teen's head helping them through the confusion. Problem is, Charlotte's phone never rings.

And if that's not enough, she's watching her friends have reunions with loved ones and "lives" that just don't include her.

Enter Maddy, a new girl that no one knows anything about. She manipulates Charlotte's emotions to get her to break the rules and question her friendships.

All the while, there's just as much drama with the living. Petula's in a coma-- thanks to a pedicure gone deadly-- and the students at Hawthorne High are mourning, imitating, and backstabbing.

It isn't until Petula's sister-- and Charlotte's best living friend-- Scarlett puts herself in a self-induced coma that her life and the afterlife collide once again. She goes on the search for Charlotte and help for her sister.

In the end, real friendship and unselfishness prevail.

As with the first Ghostgirl, Tonya Hurley creates a world of vivid characters, who not only seem real, but talk like our friends-- complete with snark and references to the latest pop culture scandals.

I hope we'll get to see what happens with Charlotte and her friends-- both living and dead-- as they reach the next destination of their journey.

Tonya Hurley is the visiting author at Book Divas this week (July 6-10)! Stop by to talk about the book and ask the author questions.